Fascia and flashing construction



Oct. 13, 1970 w. R. TYLER FASCIA AND FLASHING CONSTRUCTION Filed April4, 1968 INVENTOR. WILLIAM R. TYLER A r rarney United States Patent O3,533,201 FASCIA AND FLASHING CONSTRUCTION William R. Tyler, LowerBurrell, Pa., assignor to Aluminum Company of America, Pittsburgh, Pa.,a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Apr. 4, 1968, Ser. No. 718,741 Int.Cl. E04d 13/15 U.S. Cl. 52-60 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Afascia and flashing construction for installation adjacent normallyexposed terminal defining surfaces, such as outwardly facing marginaledges of substantially flat roof, projecting balcony, marquee, terrace,and similar deck structures, in which the fascia element is erected insubstantially upright overlying protective and/or decorativerelationship to an outwardly facing marginal edge surface of the deckstructure and is restrained in compressively stressed condition by anassociated flashing element in engagement with the upper edge of thefascia member under a generally downwardly tension-exerting forcedeveloped by securement of the flashing element to the deck structurerearwardly of and below the upper engaged edge of the fascia member.

BACKGROUND PRIOR ART It is known to provide fascia and flashinginstallations in exposed overlying assembled relationship to theterminal marginal edge surfaces of substantially flat roof structures,in which a cant strip is usually employed in firm securement along andabove the outwardly facing marginal edge surfaces defining the roofstructure to provide a rearwardly and downwardly inclined surfaceterminating in the plane of the substantially flat roof surface. UnitedStates Letters Patent 3,100,951, dated Aug. 20, 1963, and its Re.26,056, dated July 5, 1966, in the name of William P. Hickman, aretypical and representative disclosures of the state of the prior art inthe general field to which the present invention is addressed.

Analysis of the aforesaid published prior art practice reveals afascia-flashing structure, and an installation in corporating the same,in which engagement between upper marginal configurated edges of thefascia and flashing elements thereof react to develop an upwardlydirected pressure or separating force along the upper marginal edge ofthe fascia strip or element.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Structurally distinguishing the present inventionfrom the hereinabove acknowledged prior art, a fascia-flashingconstruction is hereinafter described in which interengaging adjacentand/ or proximate upper marginal edges of a generally upright protectiveand/or decorative fascia member and a generally downwardly andrearwardly extending flashing element, on securement of the latterelement intermediate its upper and lower marginal edges to an underlyingstatic surface disposed below and rearwardly in respect to saidinterengaged portions thereof, react to develop a downwardly directedforce within the fascia member against resisting support of the latterbelow its upper marginal edge to thereby place the upright fasciamember, in its installed or erected condition, under positivecompressively strained condition maintained by a generally downwardlyexerted tensile or pulling force developed at the interengaging uppermarginally configurated portions of the fascia and flashing elements toprovide a substantially tight and rattle-free fascia-flashinginstallation.

The invention is addressed in general to fascia-flashing "iceconstruction, assemblies and installations thereof, for erection inoverlying protective and/or decorative relationship in respect tomarginal normally exposed surface areas definable by intersectingplanes, one of which is normally substantially coplanar with theoutwardly facing substantially upright terminating marginal surface areaof the edge of a substantially flat roof, or similar deck structure, andthe other of which is coplanar with a substantially flat roof orequivalent deck structure.

More specifically, fascia-flashing constructions and assemblies of theinvention provide for structural stressproducing interengagement betweenan upper configurated marginal edge of a general upright fascia memberand an upper configurated marginal edge of a flashing element, at alocation above the plane of a substantially flat roof or equivalent deckstructure, wherein the flashing element is adapted to be restrainedlysecured below and rearwardly of the aforesaid upper marginal edgeinterengagement to a relatively stationary structure, such as therearwardly and downwardly inclined surface of a cant strip supportedadjacent the outer marginal edge of the roof, or similar deck structure,in. underlying relationship to the flashing element.

It is therefore a primary object of the invention to provideeconomically prefabricated fascia and flashing members or elementsincorporating upper edge configurations, which on interengagementthereof, are productive of developing a generally downwardly directedforce against the upper edge of the fascia member against resistingsupport of the same below its upper marginal edge of an installation ofa so interengaged assembly of the fascia and flashing elements.

Another object of the invention is to provide fascia and flashingelements which, on interengaging upper marginal edge assembly andinstallation thereof, provide a compressively stressed, rattle-freefascia member.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art, to which the invention appertains, onconsideration of the following description and illustrations.

The appended drawing includes selected views in illustration, and notlimitation, of preferred embodiments of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 represents a fragmentary partial cross-sectional elevational viewof a fascia-flashing installation of the invention;

FIG. 2 represents a fragmentary partial cross-sectional elevational viewof a modified fascia-flashing installation substitutable for the upperedge construction illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 represents a fragmentary partial cross-sectional elevational viewof a further modified fascia-flashing installation substitutable foreither of the installations of FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 4 represents a fragmentary cross-sectional elevational view of afurther modification of fascia-flashing installation of the invention.

In reference to the aforesaid views, only such essential structure hasbeen illustrated for a complete understanding of the followingdescription.

In FIG. 1, a roof or similar substantially flat deck structure 10 issupportedly secured and erected above an enclosing wall or abutment 12and provides a normally outwardly facing terminal or marginal edgesurface 14 in substantially coplanar relationship to an outwardly facingsurface 16 of the enclosing wall or abutment 12. The surface 14, inconventional substantially flat roof or similar deck construction, canbe the upright outer edge of a wood nailer plate 18, although otherconventional construction materials could be employed in this area of aroof or similar deck structure, such as masonry, concrete, and the like.

A generally triangular shaped cant element or strip 20 is illustrated inFIG. 1 as formed from sheet metal, preferably a metal of relatively highcorrosion resistance, such as aluminum and alloys thereof. The cantstrip 20 has a substantially vertical or upright front depending leg 22and a downwardly inclined rearwardly extending leg 24 terminating in asecuring flange 26 in supportable contact against the upwardly facing ordirected underlying nailer plate 18, where it can be fastened by axiallyor longitudinally spaced driven nails, or equivalent fastening devices28, extending into the underlying nailer plate 18.

The depending front leg 22 of the cant strip 20 is also secured byaxially or longitudinally spaced fasteners, as by driven nails 30,extending into the underlying front edge surface of nailer plate 18, andthe lower edge of front leg 22 is preferably configurated in the shapeor form of an upwardly facing open entrance marginal lower edge channel32.

In a roof installation one, or preferably several, strips or layers ofweatherproof covering, such as flexible roofing felt 34 or itsequivalent, is applied in adhesive attachment to the othenwise upwardlyexposed or facing substantially flat surface of the deck structure Thelayer or layers 34 of covering material are also preferably contiguouslyextended in overlying adhesive attachment to the inclined surface of thecant strip 20, and a serving of gravel 36 intermixed with pitch orsimilar water-proofing adhesive, is normally applied on the otherwiseupwardly exposed surface of the covering material 34. The outermostlayer of weatherproof covering material 34 may be carried over the upperedges of its underlying layers and extend downwardly over the uprightsurface of the cant strip, where it can be adhesively or otherwiseattached thereto and serve as added flashing protection against moisturepenetration and leakage at the joints in gravel stop-fascia assembliesand installations according to the invention.

A fascia member 38 is illustrated in its simplest and most economicalform as comprising a flat sheet metal strip, such as a corrosionresistant aluminum or aluminum alloy sheet, formed to provide an uppermarginal edge configuration defined by rearwardly and downardlyextending contiguous portions thereof, 40 and 42 respectively,terminating in contiguous outwardly and upwardly extending extensions 44and 46 constituting an upwardly facing open entrance upwardly accessiblechannel formation 48 located at the rear of and remote to the outwardlyfacing surface 50 of the fascia member 38.

The lower marginal edge of the fascia member 38 is also preferablyconfigurated to provide an angularly outwardly and downwardly extendingdrip flange 52, by reverse flat bending of the material of the same, andis further reversely bent to provide a depending free bottom marginaledge flange 54, preferably underlying disposed behind the drip flange52, which is receivable within the upwardly open lower marginal edgechannel groove 32 of the cant strip depending front leg 22. Fascia 38and cant strip for a particular installation are selected of appropriatedimensions so that when the depending edge of fascia 38 is engaged withthe lower edge of the cant strip 20, the upper marginal edgeconfiguration of the fascia will be disposed above the upper apex of thecant strip 20 as shown in FIG. 1.

A flashing element 56 is also preferably formed from a sheet or strip ofthe same material as the cant strip 20 and fascia member 38. Theflashing element 56 is preferably fabricated to provide a uniformtransverse crosssection or profile having an upper marginal edgedownwardly facing open entrance channel configuration 58, asubstantially horizontal intermediate step surface 60 coextensive withan upwardly and outwardly inclined web section 62, and incorporates asecond contiguous Web section 64, downwardly and rearwardly inclinedfrom the step surface '60, terminating in a lower disposed prefer- 4ably rearwardly and upwardly curled bead 66 remote to the oppositeaforesaid upper marginal edge channel configuration 58.

In the installation illustrated in FIG. 1, the downwardly facing openentrance channel 58 of the flashing element 56 is readily introduced, asby angular or pivotal rotation thereof, into overlying superimposedinterengaged relationship to the upwardly facing open entrance channelgroove configuration 48 of the upper marginal edge of fascia member 38.Thus located, the flashing element 56 extends rearwardly and downwardlyto present its step surface 60 overlyingly adjacent, but preferablyslightly rearwardly, of the upper apex of the cant strip 20 in positionto receive fastening elements 68, such as self tapping metal screws,extending through axially spaced apertures provided in the step surface60 of flashing element 56, the underlying covering layer or layers 34,and underlying inclined leg 24 of the cant strip 20. Flashing element 56is selected for a particular application so that, when thus installed,step 60 will be spaced above the downwardly inclined leg of cant strip20. When the fastening elements 68 are driven into the underlyingsurface, step 60 will therefore be drawn downward against the resistingforce supplied by the lower edge engagement of the depending flange 54of the fascia member 38 within the upwardly facing open entrance channel32 of the front leg 22 of the installed cant strip 20 to compressivelyrestrain the fascia 3'8. Fastening elements 68 are driven into firm andpositive threaded engagement with the underlying inclined surface of therear leg 24 of the securely installed cant strip 20. The intersectingshoulder formed by the rearwardly inclined web section 62 and stepsurface 60 may or may not provide or make bearing contact and abutmentagainst the outermost surface of the covering layer or layers 34, but ineither event the rear lower beaded edge 66 of the flashing element 56does contact and effect a weather seal against the outer surface of itsimmediately underlying covering material 34.

To insure proper installation of the construction as described, thefascia member 38 and flashing element 56 are dimensioned so that themarginal edge flange 54 and channel formation 48 of the fascia memberare spaced approximately equal to the spacing between the marginal loweredge channel 32 of the cant strip 20 and the channel configuration 58 ofthe flashing element when it is resting on the upwardly facing surfaceof the cant strip near the apex of the cant strip. If the downwardly andrearwardly inclined web section 62 of the flashing element had avertical height which did not correspond to the spacing of the marginaledge 48 of the fascia above the apex of the cant strip, the flashingelement might not seat properly on the cant strip and might not providethe desired compressive restraint of the fascia member. The particularlydimensioning of the various elements is a simple matter and can vary aslong as the elements are properly proportioned with respect to eachother.

From stress analysis of the installation of FIG. 1, it will be seen thatthe installed flashing element 56 is under tension along its upperinterengaged profiled edge and reacts to produce a generally downwardlydirected tensile pulling force against the upper configurated orprofiled marginal edge of the fascia member 38 to place the latter in acompressively stressed substantially tight and rattlefree conditionagainst the resistance of the lower edge supporting groove 32 carried orsupplied by the installed cant strip 20. The flashing strip 56, becauseof its angulated profile, exhibits suflicient resilience or flexibilityto adjustably accommodate normally experienced relative movement of thefascia and flashing elements, in an installation thereof, due to thermalchanges and the like, while at the same time insuring the aforesaiddirectionally prevailing tensile pulling force exerted by the flashingelement 56. In practice, a natural or synthetic rubber or neoprenewasher 70 is recommended under the head of each fastening device 68, asa precautionary measure against moisture leakage.

The fragmentary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 has been selected toshow the use of extruded fascia and flashing elements in an overlyinginstallation otherwise substantially similar to that of FIG. 1. Herein,the extruded fascia member 72 is fabricated to provide an upper invertedgenerally U-shaped marginal edge 74, and the extruded flashing element76 is fabricated to provide an upper marginal edge configuration 78overlyingly complementary to embracing contacting engagement against theouter surface of profile 74. Thus the upper marginally profiledinterengagingly contacting portions or edges of the fascia member 72 andflashing element 76 respond, on installation of the flashing elementunder the action of fastening devices 80-, driven into positiveengagement with the underlying cant strip 82, to exert and maintain adownwardly directed tensile pulling force along the upper profiled edge74 of fascia member 72 to compressively stress the latter member againsta support therefor, such as the lower edge mounting channel 32 in theinstallation of FIG. 1.

The underlying cant member 82 (FIG. 2) may be fabricated from sheetmetal, as in FIG. 1, or may if desired be fabricated in the form of anextrusion. Corrosion resistant aluminum and alloys thereof may also beemployed in the installation of FIG. .2.

FIG. 3 has also been selected to illustrate an extruded fascia member 84in interengaging upper marginal edge connection with an extrudedflashing element 86 in the same general configuration of these twomembers illustrated in FIG. 1. It will be observed, however, and thisalso applies to FIG. 2, that the flashing element 86 is confined in itsbearing abutment against the exposed upwardly facing covering material88 (FIG. 3) to the rear leg only of flashing element 86, which is theonly structural difference from the installation of FIG. 1 where twobearing contacts between underlying covering material 34 and flashingelement 56 were illustrated, one on either side of the fastening element68 thereof.

FIG. 4 illustrates a further embodiment of the invention in which aconventional solid transverse cross-section cant strip 90 of wood, orother conventional building material, is employed and the lower marginaledge of an extruded fascia member 92 is supported within a separatebracket 94 secured to a mailer plate 96. It will be understood that theconventional solid cant strip in FIG. 4 could be substituted in any ofthe installations of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, without in any way detractingfrom the substantialy tight and rattle free structurally stressedinstallations produced in accordance with the invention.

It will be appreciated that the fascia-flashing elements describedhereinabove lend themselves to facile and economical fabrication fromstrip and/or extruded mill products. Although corrosion resistant metalsare herein indicated as preferred in the practice of the invention,commercially available substantially rigid plastics may be substitutedtherefor. Furthermore, the relatively flat sheetlike profiles of theillustrated fascia members of the installations of FIGS. 1 through 4 maybe otherwise configurated in transverse cross-section between the upperand lower marginal edges thereof to impart esthetic sculptureddecorative cornice and trim appearance, without in any way detractingfrom or effecting their installation, as hereinbefore described.

It will also be understood that conventionally fabricated mill lengthsof fascia and flashing, meeting the requirements of the invention, areinstallable in accordance with conventional telescopic and/or spacedadjacent end and mitered or butting corner joint practices to providefor axial expansion and contraction of installations of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A fascia-flashing construction adapted for installation in overlyingrelationship to an outwardly facing terminal edge surface and adjacentcoextensive inwardly extending upwardly facing surface of a deckstructure, said construction comprising: a fascia member installablealong and in overlying relationship to the outwardly facing terminaledge surface of the deck structure in supported relationship thereto ata location below an upper marginal edge thereof which extends upwardlyabove the upwardly facing adjacent coextensive surface of the deckstructure, a flashing element having an upper marginal edge with adownwardly facing open channel configuration in overlyinginterengagement with an adjacent upper edge of the fascia member andhaving a rearward and downward extension for overlying securementrelative to the upwardly facing surface of the deck structure below andremote to its upper marginal edge interengagement with the fasciamember, said rearward and downward extension having a vertical heightapproximately equal to the spacing of the upper marginal edge of thefascia member above the upwardly facing surface of the deck structure,and said flashing element, on installation, being drawn toward theunderlying surface of the deck and against the resistance of the fasciamember overlyingly engaged by the flashing element to compressivelyrestrain the fascia member in its supported relationship to the deck.

2. The fascia-flashing construction in accordance with claim 1 in whichthe rearward and downward extension of the flashing element istransversely profiled to provide a substantially horizontal step surfaceintermediate upper and lower marginal edges thereof for receivinginstallation fastening means extendable therethrough.

3. The fascia-flashing construction in accordance with claim 1 in whichthe fascia member is provided adjacent its upper marginal edge with anupwardly facing open channel configuration for interengagement by saiddownwardly facing open channel configuration on the upper marginal edgeof the flashing element.

4. The fasciaflashing construction in accordance with claim 1 in whichthe flashing element includes a rearwardly and downwardly disposed lowermarginal edge adapted for resisting support relative to an underlyingupwardly facing surface of the deck structure.

5. The combination including a fascia-flashing construction secured to adeck, said combination comprising a deck having a marginal outwardlyfacing terminal edge surface and adjacent coextensive inwardly extendingupwardly facing substantially flat surface, a fascia member having upperand lower marginal edges in generally upright, coplanar relationship inoverlying relationship to the terminal edge surface of said deskstructure, and having the upper marginal edge thereof disposed above theplane of the upwardly facing substantially flat surface of the deckstructure, a support engaged with said fascia member below its uppermarginal edge, a flashing element having an upper marginal edge with adownwardly facing open channel configuration in overlying engagementwith an adjacent upper edge of said supported fascia member, arearwardly and downwardly extending portion of said flashing elementdisposed in overlying relationship to the upwardly facing surface of thedeck structure, a marginal lower edge of said flashing element remote toits upper marginal edge being supportingly resisted relative to theunderlying upwardly facing surface of the deck structure, fasteningmeans intermediate the opposite upper and lower marginal edges of theflashing element securing the same in relation to the upwardly facingsurface of the deck structure, said fastening means drawing saidflashing element toward the underlying upper surface of the deck andagainst said supported fascia member to compressively stress the samebetween the support and flashing element, and thereby effect asubstantially rattle-free fascia-flashing construction.

6. The combination in accordance with claim 5 in which the inwardlyextending upwardly facing substantially fiat surface of the deckstructure supports an upstanding cant strip having an upright frontsurface substantially coplanar with the outwardly facing terminal edgesurface of the deck structure and a rearwardly and downwardly inclinedsurface relative to the substantially fiat surface of the deckstructure, the fascia member having its upper marginal edge locatedabove the front surface of said cant strip, and said flashing elementintermediately located fastening means securing the flashing element inoverlying relationship to the rearwardly and downwardly inclined surfaceof the cant strip.

7. The combination in accordance with claim 6 in which the deckstructure is a roof having a weatherproof covering overlying theupwardly facing substantially flat sur face thereof, as well asoverlying the inclined surface of the cant strip, and wherein the lowerrear marginal edge of the flashing element contactingly bears against anoutermost surface of the weatherproof covering in overlying relationshipto the inclined surface of the cant strip.

8 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES ArchitecturalRecord, December 1957, pp. 70 71.

PRICE C. FAW, JR., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

